Director David Gordon Green continues his losing streak with The Sitter; an R-rated comedy starring (then fat) Jonah Hill as the worst possible babysitter alive. The film follows him around town as he attempts to score drugs for his “girlfriend”, steals a car, gets pulled over by the cops and eventually calls it quits after a showdown with some gangsters, all while the kids ride safely in the backseat. The Sitter is without a doubt a very dumb and immature comedy, but its comedy does work wonders because of Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell and occasionally David Gordon Green‘s weird directing.
Noah (Jonah Hill) is a recent college dropout. He got involved with some drinking, which led to him losing his license and moving in with his mom. He’s not the most motivated child, but he gets by on being tolerable to his mother and generally nice to any girl that gives him the light of day.
He’s seeing a girl that only uses him for his sexual abilities, but she doesn’t feel the need to return the favor and to Noah that’s fine for now. He’s sort of coasting on what he can get and that all changes when his mother asks for a favor. He’s asked to babysit some kids so that his mother can go out and have a good time with her friends.
Within minutes the film establishes itself as a foul-mouthed ride of idiotic proportions. Things happen in The Sitter that just don’t happen in real life and you’re forced to either go with it and enjoy the bumpy ride or completely hate the film from start to finish. The humor presents itself early on, so you’re given a fair warning to turn it off or leave if it isn’t for you.
I’m one of those rare people out there that actually enjoyed The Sitter. It’s got its problems, specifically with its attempt to land some emotional drama somewhere in the middle act, but aside from that the film works at making me laugh. Some of the jokes are stereotypical and not fully thought out, but a lot of the material really caters to Jonah Hill‘s style. If anything The Sitter can be looked at as a one man show carried by Jonah Hill. He has no problems providing enough laughs to keep you entertained.
Sam Rockwell also comes out of his shell and provides ones of the weirdest supporting roles. I’m not sure to either hate him or love him by the ending showdown and only a guy like Rockwell can do that. He’s soft and gentle, yet ready to blowup at any minute.
Poor David Gordon Green just can’t get a break. First Your Highness failed to connect with anyone (besides me) and now The Sitter. He’s a good comedy director, but he needs to focus on some better scripts or more involved talent. I’m sensing both The Sitter and Your Highness were directed to the best of his ability, but the material he had to work with just wasn’t as good as past efforts like Pineapple Express.
The Sitter comes to Blu-Ray with a very soft looking 1080p video transfer. Colors are natural and consistent, but there’s something blocking any true detail from poking its head. I wouldn’t call it an overly grainy transfer, but there is enough to notice the lack of definition on things like skin textures. Comedies tend to get so-so transfers and that’s due to a number of things like cameras used and work done in post-production. The Sitter looks good enough to watch, but it isn’t going to shine above the rest of your library.
Same can be said with the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. It’s slightly better than its video counterpart, but it still isn’t going to wow you at any point. It’s your standard audio track with dialogue focused on the front channels and the occasional rear channel providing effects like cars driving by or loud music whenever their indoors.
Surprisingly enough, the special features aren’t nearly as funny as the actual film. Most of the deleted/extended scenes are the same as the originals, with very slight adjustments. There’s one feature that focuses on Hill as a producer, but instead of providing some thoughtful insight it’s thrown away and turned into another joke feature that isn’t even funny. Here’s a full list of the material below:
- Theatrical Version & Unrated Extended Cut (HD)
- Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes (HD)
- Gag Reel (HD)
- Sits-N-Giggles (HD)
- For Your Consideration (HD)
- The Making of The Sitter (HD)
- Jonah the Producer (HD)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD)
- Sneak Peeks (HD)
- DVD Copy
- Digital Copy
I have no problem admitting that almost 85% of all audiences won’t like The Sitter, but that doesn’t mean it’s a horrible film by any means. Comedy is very subjective and it caters to specific crowds, so just because a certain brand of humor doesn’t fly with you doesn’t mean the film is of poor quality. The jokes are mean spirited and very surface leveled, but for those looking for something that doesn’t make them think all that hard, but does make them laugh at the sheer dumbness of it all will like The Sitter.
I thought Jonah Hill was great as a selfish babysitter that acts the age of the kids he’s watching. I liked the foul humor that most call dumb. The Sitter is no Pineapple Express, but it shouldn’t be compared to it. A director and his actor are there to make the script work, despite its flaws. The Sitter shows a little bit more of David Gordon Green‘s weird side and it provides Jonah Hill with something to call his own, even though he’ll probably disown it after 21 Jump Street became both a critical and financial success.
The Blu-Ray is just as average as the film itself, with tons of flaws sprinkled throughout, but still being an entertaining experience. I hope more people at least give The Sitter a chance at home and rent it, because no one seemed to even bother with it in theaters.
